Times of Trouble
by Lady Dawson
Summary: Complete. Sequel to "Times of Courage," Arianna and Will go off in search of the key and find their long lost father. But Arianna finally begins to learn the true meaning of her gift as she embarks on a journey that will lead all of them to their destiny.
1. Ruined Wedding

**Times of Trouble**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter One: Ruined Wedding

A young woman with long brown hair sat by a window, staring out into the gloomy day. Her blue eyes were the same shade as the sea, and just as wild and untameable. The only daughter of Bootstrap Bill Turner stared out as not too far away, her brother Will was being arrested by the same soldiers that had recently arrived on Port Royal. She was not at the blacksmith's shop at the time, otherwise Arianna Turner most definitely would have had something to say about it. Unfortunately for her, Arianna was being hunted down by the same men that had arrested her brother.

She'd been at the governor's house getting ready for her brother's wedding. As the bride, Elizabeth Swann's, best friend, she was given the honour of being the maid of honour in their wedding and Elizabeth had insisted on her coming to her house to get ready. Arianna reluctantly agreed, though she'd had the feeling all week that something was going to go horribly wrong.

Ten months had passed since Arianna, her brother Will, and Elizabeth had assisted in the escape of Captain Jack Sparrow, the pirate that had saved them all from certain death, but who had been condemned to death because of the mere fact of him being a pirate. Ever since then, Will and Elizabeth had fallen more deeply in love and were getting married. Or were supposed to, were things to go according to plan. Arianna, too, had fallen in love with a member of the soldiers, a young lieutenant named Finn Warren.

Arianna and Finn had a wonderful summer, filled with laughter and romance, but she knew that things were about to change. Although his father had consented to his courting her, she didn't think he thought things would actually work out. And much to Mr. Warren's disappointment, things had seemed to work out with them.

Which was the reason why he had set out to have them broken up immediately. When she demanded an explanation, he told her that he wouldn't have a pirate for a daughter-in-law before slamming the door in her face.

Arianna must've cried for a week after it happened and didn't even want to go outside, but had put on a good face at least for the wedding. Will had been furious and wanted to go over to the Warrens and have a talk to Finn and his father, giving them a piece of his mind, but Arianna told him not to.

"There isn't any point, Will . . ." she told him softly as she lay curled up on her bed, her eyes red from crying. He hesitated, but reluctantly submitted to her request to let it be.

She knew he felt guilty about being so happy with Elizabeth when she felt so miserable, which was half of the reason why she had shown up today. The grey clouds matched her mood and she wished that she could get out of here, leave Port Royal behind. Other than her brother and best friend, Finn had been her only reason for staying. And now she didn't even have him.

Pulling herself out of the past, Arianna whirled around as soldiers barged through the door, slamming it open and pointing their bayonets at her. "What the—" she began as they surrounded her.

"Miss Arianna Turner?" a man in a navy blue suit addressed her. She nodded, confused. "I thought so. Arrest her."

"What?" Arianna was incredulous as the soldiers grabbed her, despite her putting up a decent fight. She managed to kick one of them down, but then they put her in irons and she had no other choice but to walk with them out of the governor's house down to the wedding chapel. Her mouth dropped open when she saw Will up ahead, in the same state as she was in, and Elizabeth was running towards them.

"Any idea what this is all about?" she inquired as she was shoved next to her brother. He shook his head as Elizabeth reached them, in her wedding gown soaking wet.

Arianna's eyes searched the crowd of soldiers and she suddenly came face-to-face with the green eyes of the man she loved. Finn stared at her for a moment before looking away, his face filled with shame. But she caught a hint of something else: love. Despite what had happened, despite everything that his father had put them through, he still loved her. Somehow, that made Arianna feel somewhat better, despite the current situation.

"Let me through!" The governor had arrived, looking incredulous as the two men held their bayonets to block him from moving. "How dare you! Stand your men down at once!" he ordered the man standing on the balcony, looking calmly over Port Royal. "Do you hear me?"

The man tossed off his coat and the man in navy blue took it calmly. "Governor Weatherby Swann, it's been too long," he remarked.

Staring at him, Governor Swann had a look of incredulity on his face as he asked, "Cutler Beckett?"

"It's Lord now, actually."

Waving his hand at the men, Beckett allowed the governor to step through. However, the governor showed no sign of being grateful for the command. Instead, he immediately started shouting at Beckett. "Lord or not, you have no reason and no authority to arrest these two!" he said, pointing towards Will and Arianna.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Beckett remarked. "Mr. Mercer!" This was the man in navy, who produced a series of documents and he picked two of them up. "The arrest of one William Turner and one Arianna Turner." The twins exchanged a look with Elizabeth as the governor examined the documents.

"But this warrant is for Elizabeth Swann!" the governor said, looking at his daughter with horror.

"Oh, is it? That's annoying," Beckett said without a trace of embarrassment. He was enjoying this, Arianna thought with rage. He was actually enjoying this. "Arrest her."

"Under what charges?" Elizabeth shouted, but everyone ignored her, their attention focused on Beckett as he picked up two more documents.

Handing one of them to the governor, Beckett said, "Aha! Here's the one for William Turner. And I have another one for a Mr. James Norrington. Is he present?" He looked around at the crowd.

"What are the charges?" Elizabeth shouted, but Beckett continued to ignore her, his attention focused on the governor, who was answering the question asked.

"Commodore Norrington resigned his commission several months ago," Governor Swann told him.

"I don't believe that was the answer to the question that I asked," Beckett pointed out smoothly.

Arianna sighed as she thought about the commodore—or rather former commodore. After allowing Jack one day to escape, Norrington had pursued the pirate and never managed to catch up to him. He lost his crew, one-by-one, and then finally resigned, disgraced, and he disappeared from Port Royal. No one had seen him since then.

"Lord Beckett!" Will had finally had enough. "In the category of questions _not_ answered—"

"We are under the jurisdiction of the King's governor of Port Royal and you will tell us what we are charged with," Elizabeth added, glaring at Beckett with cold fury. Arianna could hardly blame her; after all, the man had ruined her wedding day.

"The charge," her father answered, "is 'conspiring to set free a man convicted of crimes against the Crown and Empire and condemned to death, for which the punishment . . .'" He stopped reading the documents, his face suddenly going pale.

"For which the punishment, regrettably, is also death," Beckett finished up for him. Arianna stared at him before looking towards her brother and best friend. All three of them knew what this was about. "Perhaps you remember a certain pirate named Jack Sparrow?"

"Captain," all three of them said at the same time. Arianna winced slightly as she realised what they'd given away.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Elizabeth told him.

Beckett nodded, a smug smile crossing his face. "Captain Jack Sparrow," he echoed. "Yes, I thought you might. Take them away."

--

Arianna sat alone in the cell, shivering slightly as she tried to ignore the catcalls and whistles from some of the men in jail. Finally, she gave up, stood up, and turned towards them, her eyes blazing with fury and anger. "If any man here even so much makes one more disgusting remark like that," she said, her voice quiet but carrying with power, "then I will _personally_ make that man a eunuch. Am I understood?" she asked, glaring at them.

The men all stared at her, then backed away from the enraged girl, conversing amongst themselves. "I thought so," Arianna muttered as she sat back down, pressing her head into her knees.

She glanced up when she heard clapping and looked up, her heart giving a painful twist when she saw Finn standing there. He was grinning slightly as he closed the cell door behind him, joining her on the ground. "That was nicely handled," he commented.

"What are you doing here?" she said quietly, not really in the mood to talk to him. She didn't look at him, couldn't look into his green eyes with it hurting too much to bear. "I didn't think that your father would allow you down here, Finn. Especially not after this."

Finn reached out and lifted her chin so that she was forced to look up at him, straight into his green eyes. "This isn't what _I_ wanted, Arianna," he told her quietly. "I wanted you to be my wife, I told you that when I started courting you. Believe me, if I'd known that my father was going to react the way that he did, I wouldn't have put you through that. I would've just let you be, if only to not cause you the pain that you're going through."

"You could have stood up for me," Arianna pointed out. "Finn, you could have said that you were going to marry me, no matter what he said."

"I did." Arianna glanced up at him as he spoke, sea-blue eyes confused as he sighed, leaning back against the cell wall. "I did tell him that, after you ran out in tears, Arianna. You . . . you are the one that I want, not anyone else and that is never going to change." He cupped her face in his hands, drawing her in close. "You're my heart and soul, Arianna. My Anna," he added softly and she smiled slightly at the private nickname that he called her.

"Finn . . ." she began, but she was incapable of saying anything after that as he kissed her. The flood of emotions poured through her, coursed through her veins as she remembered why she loved him so much. He had never once judged her, never condemned her because of the way she was. And he had never tried to change her, just accepted her for the way that she was. The only two people who had done that before were Will and Elizabeth.

"I love you," Finn whispered. "And I always will. You are the one that I will choose above all others, Anna." He caressed her hair as she looked up at him, heart almost spilling over with happiness. "But I'm not so sure that we'll be able to find a way to be together. Don't get me wrong, I want to," he said quickly, reading Arianna's expression. "But Beckett is more dangerous than even the most bloodthirsty pirates. I'm not so sure we'll find a way. I've just got to find a way to get you out of here."

It was no sooner than he'd spoken than Will appeared, his face darkening the moment that he saw Finn with his sister. Arianna gave him a warning look, so he didn't say anything as Finn stood up and walked out of the cell.

"Come on, Ari," Will told her, "we've been given permission to undertake a mission for Beckett in exchange for our freedom. I'll explain on the way," he added to her puzzled look.


	2. Searching for Jack

**Times of Trouble**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Two: Searching for Jack

"So, all we have to do is go find Jack and convince him to give us his compass and come back to Port Royal?" Arianna said slowly as they climbed off the ship that had arrived in Tortuga. The pirates' haven was, as usually, a mess. It was only midday and the place was already in chaos. "Will, I think that's going to prove more of a challenge than you think. This is Tortuga we're talking about; nobody gets their stories straight around here."

"I know, but this is the only place I can think of to start," Will pointed out as he began questioning some folks about Jack Sparrow's whereabouts. They had several different answers, some of which included Singapore, dead, and Will had gotten hit by a woman who asked them to give Jack a message. If Arianna remembered correctly, the woman's name was Scarlett. They'd met her the last time that they'd been here.

Arianna shivered slightly as she walked with Will down the waterfront, her sea-blue eyes staring out into the ocean. The last time that she'd been involved with Jack Sparrow, he'd told her that piracy gave women more freedom than polite society did. She didn't doubt him a bit, but things had been different back then; she still had Finn back then. But now . . .

With a small sigh, she shook her head. Another pirate Anamaria had told her that if she chose to lead the life of a pirate, she had to make sure that it was what she wanted, because there was no turning back. "Once a pirate, always a pirate," she had said. Arianna believed her, mostly because of the way that people reacted to her piracy acts. If she went to sea and engaged in piracy, then there could be no going back, because people would not accept her for the life she'd chosen. In fact, she'd probably be walking to the gallows.

"Can't say about Jack Sparrow," a pirate told Will when he asked them by a port, "but there is an island just south of the straits where I trade spice for . . ." He smiled. "Delicious long pork. Cannot say about Jack, but you'll find a ship there. A ship with black sails."

Arianna and Will glanced at each other and Arianna had the distinct feeling that this was what they were looking for. She gave a small nod to her brother, who paid the pirate a few coins to take them there. That was the strange thing about Arianna Turner; ever since she was a child, she'd had the unusual ability to sense things before they actually happened. Recently, she had given up trying to hide the ability and began to act on those instincts. As a result, they had become sharper, more tuned to her. She could usually sense between truth and falsehood.

Will peered through a telescope to look at the ship that was pulled onto the beach. Sure enough, it was Jack's pride and joy, the _Black Pearl_. "My brother will take you ashore," the pirate told them.

To be more accurate, the brother only took them halfway across the ocean before he said something in French, shaking his head violently. Arianna shrugged at Will, who was incredulous at this, and said, "Come on, brother, let's go."

Without thinking twice, she jumped off the edge of the small boat and dove into the ocean, swimming towards the island as fast as she could. Glancing behind her, she saw Will right behind her. When they reached the island, Arianna pushed her wet hair out of her face and grinned at her brother. "Well," she said lightly, "that was certainly refreshing." Will chuckled as they walked towards the _Pearl_.

"Jack!" he yelled, but no pirate appeared. In fact, there was no one even aboard the ship. "Jack Sparrow! Gibbs! Marty! Cotton! Anybody?" he added as no one answered his calls.

"Okay, now what?" Arianna muttered as they walked through the jungle. "Where are they? You don't think something happened to them, do you?" she asked, slightly alarmed.

"You tell me," Will pointed out dryly. "You're the expert on this stuff, Ari, not me. Besides, what was that back there with Warren? I thought things were over between you two." He didn't sound happy.

"It's complicated," Arianna said unconvincingly as she tossed a sheet of her brown hair back. "Will, do we have to talk about this right now? Because I'm more worried about Elizabeth and what's going to happen to her if we don't find Jack."

"I just don't understand how you can trust him after what he put you through," Will said quietly. He looked at her. "You cried for almost two weeks, Arianna, don't you remember that?"

"Yes, William, I remember," Arianna said through gritted teeth. He shook his head at the use of his full name. "But you know, you and Elizabeth didn't exactly slide through your relationship so easily. I seem to remember you coming home all upset because she barely even talked to you." She raised her eyebrows at Will.

"That's different," Will said, looking away. "Elizabeth and I didn't court each other and then we split up just because somebody didn't like our relationship. Finley didn't even try and stand up for the two of you, Arianna. He just let you go without a fight. What does that say about _him_?"

"Just drop it, Will!" Arianna yelled at him just as a surge of warning rushed through her. Before she could warn her brother, he stepped on a trigger and was yanked upside down by a rope. "Will!"

She hurried to help her brother just as she felt something hit the back of her neck. Arianna grasped it as blackness slowly enveloped her and she toppled over, unconscious.

--

With a small groan, Arianna felt herself floating. It was as though she were being lifted through the air by something or someone, taking her someplace. Of course, it only took the space of about three seconds to realise that her hands and feet were tied. "What the . . ." she mumbled, forcing herself to open her eyes. She blinked when she saw the wild array of warriors around her, with her tied up and was being carried through a small village.

Will was right next to her, slowly coming into consciousness as they were set upon a throne. "What now?" she muttered as she glanced up at the throne and blinked. "Jack?"

The pirate opened his eyes and blinked down at the twins, walking down and prodding Will to make sure that he was real. "Jack, I can honestly say that I am glad to see you," Will said in relief.

Arianna glanced around them, trying to figure out what was going on as she hung there, struggling to free her hands.

"They tied these really good," she muttered as she struggled to free them, but it was no use. "Come on, come on . . ." Unfortunately, she just about managed to get one of her hands through when Jack say something to the warriors in their own language. She blinked at them as they hauled the twins away, taking them to the rest of the crew.

"Will!" Gibbs exclaimed the moment that he saw them. "Miss Arianna! You two shouldn't have come here."

"It's not exactly like we had much of a choice here, Gibbs," Arianna grumbled as she pushed herself off of her feet, wishing that she had on pants instead of the bloody bridesmaid's dress that she still wore. If they got out of this mess, Elizabeth would kill her for ruining it. "What's going on? Why didn't Jack help us out of here?"

"Why would he do this to all of you?" Will added, looking around at the _Black Pearl_'s crew. "If Jack is the chief . . ."

Gibbs sighed. "Aye, the Pelegostos made Jack their chief, but he only remains the chief so long as he _acts_ like the chief."

"So he's a captive like the rest of us, then," Arianna realised. "But why do I have the feeling that it's worse for him than it is for us?"

"Right as usual, lass," Gibbs said with a nod. "They believe that Jack is a god in human form and they intend to do him the honour of releasing him from his fleshy prison. They'll roast him and eat him."

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Will asked, glancing around at them. Arianna noted that there were only about half of the crew with them. The others were missing, but as she glanced closer at the cage they were in, a horrible feeling crept up her spine.

"These cages that we're in," Gibbs said, voicing her thoughts, "they weren't built until _after_ we got here." Will yanked his hand away from the cage, flinching visibly. "The feast is about to begin. Jack's life will end when the drums stop."

Will nodded as he looked around at the crew. "Well, we can't just sit here and wait, then, can we?" he asked.

Arianna looked at her brother, eyebrows raised. "Don't tell me that you've got a plan. The last one ended up with us getting thrown in prison," she pointed out, referring to his helping Jack escape. She had joined in, but it was only when Elizabeth had helped them that Jack managed to get away.

Her brother rolled his eyes at her, but outlaid his plan. Arianna frowned slightly as she listened to it, hesitating, but then sighed. "All right, that might actually work. Anything's better than just sitting here, I suppose."

"That's the spirit!" Gibbs agreed. "Come on, now, let's go rescue Jack!" They then started moving the cage towards the cliff, trying to grab hold of some of the ropes to haul them up. In the end, they managed to get up, but not before one of the warriors saw them and ran to alert the other members of his tribe. It took them awhile to manage to break the cage, ending with them halfway across the island and falling into an underground pool with pursing warriors chasing them.

"They're turning away," Arianna whispered as the warriors finally stopped pursing them to chase something else. "What is Jack up to now?"

"Knowing Jack, probably an escape attempt gone horribly wrong," Will observed. "Let's get back to the _Pearl_. Hopefully, he'll be able to meet us there."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then you are leaving with the rest of the crew and I'll go back for Jack," Will responded. Arianna was about to respond, but gave up, privately thinking that she'd sneak back after Will in the jungle to go and help them. But her brother didn't need to know that.

"How'd they get out of jail?" Arianna wondered as they managed to get to the ship and found two of the former members of the _Black Pearl_, crew members when it had been under Barbossa's command. If she remembered correctly, their names were Pintel and Ragetti.

"Don't know," Will muttered. "Gibbs, take my sister and get out of here. I'm going back for Jack."

"Will!" Arianna yelled at him. "They are just going to kill the both of you if you stay and then you'll be of no use to Elizabeth or anybody else." Before Will answered, she caught sight of Jack running towards them. "Uh . . . besides, I don't think you'll need to."

Her brother turned around to see the pirate running as though something was chasing them. "Time to go," he announced when the warriors emerged, chasing Jack with their spears raised.

"Let's move it, gentlemen!" Arianna called as she hauled herself up onto the deck, moving fast through the pirates. "Will, get up here!" Her brother climbed on board as the tide started to lift them into the sea and Jack grabbed hold of the rope they threw down to him.

"Alas, my children, this is the day that you will always remember as the day that—" Jack was cut off as he was splashed by a wave. Sputtering water, he finished up, "Captain Jack Sparrow."

Arianna shook her head as he climbed on board. At least Jack was safe, for now, and they could finally talk to him about the compass. Of course, knowing Jack, that could prove to be a bad decision.


	3. The Tale of Davy Jones

**Times of Trouble**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Three: The Tale of Davy Jones

Arianna and Will both managed to convince Jack to give them the compass, but as usual when it came to deals with Jack Sparrow, it came with strings attached. They had to find a key that he was searching for, in exchange for the compass. But for them to find it, they were to travel with Jack and the crew to visit an old friend of Jack's. She lived in a little house upstream, far away from other living creatures.

She wasn't sure what she had expected, but the woman that sat inside of the hut was not it. The woman that was inside was . . . well, she gave off an air of mystery and there was something strange about her. Arianna didn't need to be clairvoyant in order to know that. The woman smiled the moment that they entered. "Jack Sparrow," she said, "I always knew the wind would blow you back to me one day."

"Tia Dalma," Jack said with a smile, but her attention had focused on Will the moment that she seen him.

"You . . ." she said sharply, walking over to the twins. Arianna's hand drifted to lie on her sword, in case she needed it. Jack caught her eye and he made a small shake of his head. With a sigh, Arianna let go of the hilt, letting her hand drop harmlessly to her side. "You have a touch of destiny about you . . . William Turner."

Will stared at her. "You know me?"

"You want to know me," she said teasingly. Arianna shook her head as Tia Dalma looked towards her next and her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she could sense the unusual power that radiated from Arianna. "And you . . . you have the gift. You see things others do not, sense things that others cannot feel, Arianna Turner. Very few have the gift. Only one is born in a generation, one child out of millions has the gift. And you are that child in yours."

Arianna felt a shiver travel down her back and she bit her lip, not wanting to say anything. Thankfully, Jack used the opportunity to cut in. "Now that introductions have been given out," he said, "we've come for something and we're not leaving without it. I thought I knew you," he added, casting a glance towards Will warily.

"Not so well as I had hoped," Tia Dalma said with a laugh. She walked over and sat down at the table. "Come," she said, motioning to them. Both twins took their places at the table. "What service may I do you? You know I demand payment," she added to Jack.

"I brought payment," Jack assured her, motioning to Gibbs, who handed over the cage that they'd carried inside, with the still cursed monkey inside. "Look!" He fired the pistol at the monkey. "An un-dead monkey. Top that."

Tia Dalma took the cage and opened the door, allowing the monkey to scamper onto the floor, away from the pirates. "Don't!" Gibbs whined. "You have no idea how long it took us to catch that."

"The payment is fair," Tia Dalma said, ignoring him, as she put the cage on a shelf, away from them.

"We're looking for this," Will said, placing the drawing of the key on the table. Tia Dalma froze when she saw it. "And what it goes to."

Looking around at Jack, Tia Dalma pointed towards the drawing. "The compass that you bartered from me," she asked curiously, "it cannot lead you to this?" Arianna frowned as she looked at Jack; what exactly was it with the compass? What did it point to, exactly? That was a question that had pondered her mind for a long time and had come up with nothing.

"Maybe," Jack said, glancing at her. Tia Dalma sat down slowly, still staring at him. "Why?"

Suddenly, she smiled. "I hear you," she said in a singsong voice. "Jack Sparrow does not know what he wants. Or do you know, but are loath to claim it as your own?" Jack said nothing. "Your key to a chest," she told Will. "And it is what lay inside the chest you seek, don't it?"

"What is inside?" Gibbs wanted to know. All of the pirates had leaned forward in interest the moment that the chest was mentioned. Arianna frowned slightly, a feeling of foreboding surging through her.

"Gold?" Ragetti asked, eyes glowing with excitement. "Jewels? Unclaimed properties of valuable nature?"

"Nothing . . . bad, I hope," Pintel asked quietly, looking towards Tia Dalma worriedly.

But the mystic only leaned forward, looking at everyone in particular. "You know of Davy Jones, yes?" she asked. "A man of the sea. A great sailor, until he ran afoul that which vexes all men."

"What vexes all men?" Will asked her. Arianna raised her eyebrows at her brother, hardly believing that no one knew the answer to that question.

"What indeed?" Tia Dalma said mysteriously, smiling at him as the other pirates sprouted answers.

"The sea?" Gibbs suggested.

"Sums?" Ragetti put in.

"The dichotomy of good and evil?" Pintel asked. Everyone, including Arianna, stared at him.

"Um . . . try a woman," Arianna told them, shaking her head in exasperation. "Honestly." Will glanced at her and chuckled slightly, obviously conceding her point.

"A woman," Tia Dalma agreed. "He fell in love." Something seemed to flicker behind her eyes, Arianna noticed with a small frown. There was something about this story that affected her directly, but what was it?

"No, no, I heard that it was the sea he fell in love with," Gibbs argued and Tia Dalma looked up at him.

"Same story, different versions and all are true," she answered. "You see, it was a woman as changing and harsh and untameable as the sea. Him never stopped loving her. But the pain it cause him was too much for him to live with, but not enough to cause him to die."

Will looked at Tia Dalma, a question in his eyes. "What exactly did he put into the chest?" he asked.

She smiled. "Him heart," she answered, gesturing towards her own. Arianna felt her stomach tighten.

"Literally or figuratively?" Pintel asked and everyone chuckled at his idiotic question, except Jack, Arianna, Will, and Tia Dalma.

"He couldn't literally put his heart into a chest," Ragetti told him, chuckling. Suddenly, he noticed the four not joining in mirth, and added more seriously, "Could he?"

Tia Dalma gave them that mysterious look that seemed to be characteristic for her. "It was not worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings," she answered. "And so . . . him carve out him heart, lock it away in a chest and hide the chest from the world. The key," she added, nodding towards the drawing. "He keep with him at all times."

Arianna jumped up to stop Will from strangling Jack as he rounded on the pirate captain. "You knew this," he said accusingly.

"I did not," Jack protested, looking wounded at being accused of this. "I didn't know where the key was. But now we do. So now all that's left to do is to climb about the _Flying Dutchmen_, grab the key, and you and your sister go back to Port Royal and save your bonnie lass, eh?"

Just as he headed towards the door to leave, Tia Dalma stopped him. "Let me see your hand," she said sharply. Jack turned back to her and was about to hold out his right hand when she gave him a dangerous look. He gulped and gave her his left.

Slowly, she undid the cloth wrapped around it. Arianna stared at the black mark that was in the middle of Jack's palm.

"The Black Spot!" Gibbs squeaked as Tia Dalma nodded, obviously not surprised by what she saw and headed into the back, searching for something and after a moment, returned with a jar of sand.

"Davy Jones cannot make port," she told Jack. "Cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you are safe, Jack Sparrow, and so you will carry land with you."

Jack reached out and took the jar. "Dirt," he said incredulously. "This is a jar of dirt." She nodded. "Is the jar of dirt going to help?"

"If you don't want it, then give it back," she told him, reaching out for the jar. Jack jumped back, tightening his hold on the far. "I thought so. Then it helps." Arianna giggled slightly and Will looked towards Tia Dalma as she sat back down at the table.

"It seems that we have a need to find the _Flying Dutchmen_," he told her. She nodded, drawing up some crab arms and casting them on the table.

"A touch . . . of destiny."

--

A storm had started to brew while they were at Tia Dalma's and as they headed out to sea again, it started to erupt. Rain poured around them, drenching the pirates as they headed to where the _Flying Dutchmen_ was supposed to be at. Arianna, having changed out of the bridesmaid dress and into some old men's clothes that were lying around the ship, stared out into the ship that was lying stranded nearby.

"That's the _Flying Dutchmen_?" Will asked, looking around towards Jack, who stared at the ship nervously. "She doesn't look like much."

"Neither do you," Jack pointed out. "Do not underestimate her. So what's your plan of action?"

"I row over and search the ship until I find your bloody key," Will snapped as he stared over at the ship.

"And if there are crewmen?"

"I cut down anyone in my path," Will answered.

Arianna shook her head, amused as Jack said, "I like it. Simple, easy to remember."

Will climbed down into the waiting rowboat with a lantern and Jack yelled down to him, "Oi! If you do happened to get captured, just say that Jack Sparrow sent you to settle his debt! It might just save your life," he added dryly as Arianna grabbed the rope. He looked around at her startled, but Arianna ignored him as she climbed down the rope and jumped into the ship as Will looked around at her.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Helping my brother out," Arianna responded. "Will, just row, all right? You're at the very least going to need another sword." She grabbed one of the ores and began rowing towards the ship. With a disgruntled look at her, Will seized the other one and the twins rowed to the ship before climbing about her.

Arianna climbed on deck, looking around at the few sailors that were still alive. Her heart tightened at the sight of it as she bent down to check one of them; he wasn't breathing. Standing up, she caught something out of the corner of her eye and whirled around. A ship was emerging from beneath the ocean and was sailing towards them.

"Will," she whispered. Her brother was too busy helping the sailors and didn't hear her. "Will!"

Her brother looked around at her shout and ran to her. "What?" he yelled back over the storm. "What's wrong?"

She pointed behind him at the ship. "I think _that's_ the _Flying Dutchmen_," she answered in a small voice.


	4. Aboard the Flying Dutchmen

**Times of Trouble**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Four: Aboard the _Flying Dutchmen_

_Why is it that we always seem to end up in these kinds of situations?_ Arianna thought as she stood with her brother with the dying men as the crew of the _Flying Dutchmen_ came aboard. They were neither men nor sea creatures, but some kind of eerie in between. But none of them were as terrible as their captain as he came aboard the ruined ship.

"Seven still alive, sir," one of the crewmen said as Davy Jones came aboard. "The rest of them moved on." Jones' eyes passed over the line, towards Arianna and settled on her for a moment. He seemed to recognise that she was a girl at once, despite her sailor disguise.

But then he turned his attention towards the rest of the line, bending down to the first man. "Do you fear death?" he asked, his voice menacing and cold. "Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare. All your sins punished. I can offer you an escape."

"Don't listen to him!" The chaplain, who was also in line, was staring defiantly towards Jones, showing no fear in his eyes. Jones stood up and walked over to him.

"Do you not fear death?" he inquired. Arianna grabbed Will's hand and gripped it tightly. She could feel his hand shaking with hers as they stood together, side-by-side, to the end. If they would be leaving this world, then this was how it would be, exactly how they had come into it. Together.

"I'll take my chances, sir," the chaplain answered. Jones smirked and nodded to his crew. One of them grabbed the chaplain and drove his sword across his neck. Arianna slammed her eyes shut as she heard the splash, knowing that the poor man had been thrown overboard.

"Cruel blackguard!" one of the men with the twins shouted to Jones. He only looked at the speaker carelessly.

"Life is cruel," he pointed out coldly. "Why should the afterlife be any different?" He walked along the line and returned to the man he'd been speaking to before. "I offer you a choice. Join my crew and postpone the judgement. One hundred years before the mast. Will you serve?"

"I—I will serve," the man said faintly and the crew he was now part of chuckled and laughed.

"There," Jones said with a smirk and he walked down the line towards the twins, who stood gripping each other. "Now, you two are neither dead nor dying. What is your purpose here?"

Will glanced at Arianna, who only gripped his hand harder. It was the last thing they should do, but what choice did they have? They would be killed if they didn't say anything. "Jack Sparrow," Will said at last, "sent us to settle his debt."

Jones blinked, staring at the twins with something of shock and disbelief. "_What_ is your purpose here?" he asked slowly, to make sure he'd understood her brother.

"Jack Sparrow sent us to settle his debt," Arianna said, keeping her voice in check. Losing her temper in front of the most notorious and bloodthirsty pirate that had ever crossed the seas was not the best idea.

"Did he, now?" Jones asked as he bent closer to the twins, surveying them. "I'm sorely tempted to accept that offer." He stood up, casting a glance out towards the darkness, where the _Pearl_ and her captain were waiting nervously. Arianna gasped as he vanished into nothingness, heading to deal business with Jack.

"What now?" she whispered to her brother. She definitely did not have a good feeling about this. And from the look in Will's eyes and the way he tightened his grip on her hand, he didn't have one either.

--

Whether by accident or by pure intent, Jack hadn't been able to get them away from Jones and both of the twins were forced into service with the captain of the _Flying Dutchmen_. Will made no complaint, carrying out his duties up on deck without question while Arianna was forced down into the kitchens, working for the ship's cook.

She didn't even glance towards the cook as he ordered her to start peeling potatoes; she just sat down at the table and picked up the knife, doing as she was told. Until they had a better idea of what was going on, it seemed better this way.

She kept peeling them even though her hand started hurting after awhile, until she heard some kind of commotion up on deck. "Will," she whispered and jumped to her feet, ignoring the cook as he attempted to stop her. Hurrying up the steps onto the deck, Arianna froze in horror as she saw her brother being hauled up. "Will!" she shouted, trying to break through the pirates. A few of them laughed and held her back.

"Five lashes will remind you to stay on them!" the bosun snarled, raising his whip towards her brother, but one of the pirates stopped him. Arianna stared at the pirate, a feeling of familiarity surging through her. Where had she seen him before? "Impeding me in my duties?" he snapped towards the interfering pirate. "You'll share the punishment!"

"I'll take it all!"

Arianna froze as she heard the man's voice, her mind drifting away to another time and place, where she had heard his voice.

_"Come on, Arianna, easy does it," her father encouraged her as she held the wooden sword that he'd made her. He motioned her to fence. "There we go. There, you see, you've got it! You're a natural at this, my girl." He was smiling and laughing as they fenced in the backyard, her mother watching nearby. _

_"Of course I am," Arianna said proudly, grinning happily up at her father. "I'm a Turner, aren't I?" _

_Will laughed from the doorway as he scrambled out to join his father and sister in their game. "Me, too!" he announced as he grabbed his own wooden sword to aim it at his sister. "Come on, little sister, let's see if you can take me." _

_Their father laughed as he let his twin children fence with each other, keeping a careful watch on them so they didn't hurt themselves. _

As the memory faded away like a dream, Arianna found herself standing on the deck, staring at the man that, once upon a time, had been her father. There was no denying this fact; this was William Turner, also known as Bootstrap Bill Turner.

"Will you now?" Davy Jones had arrived, looking at her father curiously before glancing towards her brother. "And what would prompt such an act of charity?" he wanted to know.

Her father hesitated, but then looked towards her brother. "My son," he answered quietly. Jones stared at him, his eyes turning towards Will, who had heard their father's response and was staring at what had become of William Turner. "He's my son."

Jones stepped forward, looking between father and son before he laughed. "What fortuitous circumstance be this?" he said, laughing. "Five lashes be owed, I believe it is." He reached for the whip and handed it to their father. Arianna went white and her father shook his head violently.

"No," he whispered, backing away from it. "No, I won't!"

"The cat's out of the bag, Mr. Turner!" Jones crowed. "Your issue will feel its sting, whether by the bosun's hand or your own." Her father hesitated and Jones started to hand the whip back to the bosun when he grabbed it away from Jones, fury in his eyes.

He unfolded the whip and took a deep breath, his eyes scanning the crowd and fell onto her. If it were possible, he went even more white, recognising her almost immediately. But he said nothing as he looked away from her, turning his attention back to the task at hand.

Arianna felt fury fly through her as she watched her father—her own bloody father—crack the whip onto his son's back. Shaking with rage, she tried to break free from the pirates' hold, but they held her back, not letting her go until the last lash had been struck.

"Will!" Arianna shouted as he was thrown down below deck, his back split open with the lashes, blood pouring out of the injuries. She hurried to his side just as she heard someone else say her brother's name and she whirled around, coming face-to-face with her father.

"I don't need your help!" Will snarled at him, trying to pull away from Bootstrap Bill, but only ended up causing himself more pain. Arianna gently helped him stand up and her father joined her, leading his children out away from the rain.

"The bosun prides himself on cleaving flesh from bone, with every swing," he said at long last once they were below deck. Arianna helped her brother sit down as he looked towards their father incredulously.

"Am I to understand that what you did was an act of compassion?" Will demanded. Their father looked at them and Arianna saw and felt true pain radiating from him.

"Yes," he answered.

"Never mind that right now, we need to clean these wounds, Will," Arianna said angrily, looking around for something to clean them with. She finally found some rags and her father got her a bucket of clean water, not commenting as she cleaned her brother's cuts gently. "That's about as best as I can do right now. We should probably get some ointment or something first chance that we get, though."

"Not if you can't leave here, you won't," her father answered and she looked at him. "One hundred years before the mast, losing who you were, bit by bit. Until you end up . . . end up like poor Wyvern here." He nodded towards the wall and Arianna looked around, staring at the figure carved into it. Not a figure of a man, she realised, but a crewmen who had become part of the ship itself. "Once you've sworn an oath to the _Dutchmen_, then there's no leaving it. Not until your debt is paid," he answered, looking helplessly towards them. "Why did you two do it?"

"Neither one of us have sworn an oath," Will answered. Their father's eyes lit up at this proclamation and Arianna nodded to confirm it. They had been forced here against their will, they hadn't come looking to become part of the _Dutchmen_'s crew.

"Then you have to get away," he told them. Will reached for the drawing that was in his pocket and he held it out to their father.

"Not until we find this," he told him. Their father stared down at the drawing. "The key."

"The dead man's chest," a crackly voice whispered. Arianna whirled around, staring at Wyvern as he looked at the drawing.

"Blimey," she observed as he came out of the wall, still holding the lantern over them as its light cast over the drawing. "What do you know about it?" she asked.

"Open the chest with the key and stab the heart . . . no, don't stab the heart!" he ranted, leaving them confused by his tirade. "The _Dutchmen_ needs a living heart or they'll be no captain, and if there's no captain, there's no one to have the key."

"So the captain has the key?" Will asked. Wyvern looked terrified as he pushed himself back into the wall. "Where is the key?"

"Hidden?"

"Where is the chest?" Arianna tried, hoping this would work.

"Hidden," Wyvern replied as he became part of the ship again, leaving the twins with their father. They had found answers, but they still had no clue as to where the key was. The only thing left now as to ask the one person who would know where it was.

Davy Jones.


	5. Visions and Escaping

**Times of Trouble**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Five: Visions and Escaping

Arianna finally had to go back down to the gallery and return to her work with the cook, but she knew perfectly well that her brother and father were going to do something risky. Will would do just about anything for Elizabeth, even if that meant spending an eternity on the ship. But she had the feeling that Elizabeth was no longer in any immediate danger. As she concentrated on her best friend, Arianna could see her friend in her mind's eye.

_"Captain Sparrow!" Elizabeth called, dressed in a sailor's outfit as she headed down the dock, where the _Black Pearl_ stood proud, with her captain not too far away, who looked around at who had spoken to him. _

_"Coming to join my crew, lad?" he asked, not recognising Elizabeth in her sailor outfit. "Welcome aboard." _

_"I'm here to find the man I love," she responded. Jack immediately wrinkled his nose and Gibbs looked towards Elizabeth incredulously before turning to Jack. _

_The pirate captain looked revolted. "I'm deeply flattered, son, but my first and only love is the sea," he said quickly, motioning Gibbs to get on board as fast as possible, to get away from the "sailor." _

_"Meaning Will Turner, Captain Sparrow," Elizabeth said shortly. The man next to Elizabeth, who Arianna realised was Commodore Norrington, bent over and vomited into the harbour. _

_"Elizabeth," Jack realised, then he turned to Gibbs. "Hide the rum," he instructed him before he returned his attention to Elizabeth. "You know, these clothes do not flatter you at all. It should be a dress or nothing. I happen to have no dress in my cabin—"_

_"Jack," Elizabeth interrupted, "I know Will came to find you." She looked around, hoping to see her fiancé. "Where is he?" _

_With a defeated sigh, Jack walked towards her. "Darling, I am truly unhappy to tell you this, but through a unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that have absolutely nothing to do with me, poor Will and Arianna have been press-ganged into Davy Jones' crew." _

_"Davy Jones?" Elizabeth repeated, to make sure she'd heard him right. Jack nodded as Norrington finally stood up. _

_"Oh, please," he scoffed. "The captain of the _Flying Dutchmen_?" Jack finally noticed him. _

_"You look bloody awful, mate," he informed him, taking in Norrington's unpleasant appearance. Half-drunk and covered head to toe with muck and other things Arianna preferred not to think of, he now resembled the pirates he was now working with. "What are you doing here?" _

_Norrington rolled his eyes. "You _hired_ me," he replied. "I can't help it if your standards are lax." _

_"You smell funny," Jack countered. _

_"Jack!" Elizabeth said warningly. He looked back at her. "All I want is to find Will." Her brown gaze was focused on the pirate captain as he considered her comment, something passing over his face as he regarded her again. Arianna knew from experience he was up to something. _

_"Are you certain?" he asked. "Is that what you really want most? Because I would think that you would want to find a way to save Will most." Arianna wished that she could tell Elizabeth that he was just using her, but she was halfway across the ocean from her, unable to help her at the given moment. After all, this was only a vision. _

_"And you would have a way of doing that?" Elizabeth said at last, surveying Jack critically. _

_"Well, there is a chest," Jack answered as Norrington grumbled. "Of unknown size and origin—"_

_"What contains the still-beating heart of Davy Jones," Ragetti added as he and Pintel passed them, carrying some things onto the _Pearl

_Ignoring them, Jack continued, "And whoever possesses the chest possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever he . . . or she . . . wants. Including saving our brave William and the fair and courageous Arianna from their grim fate." _

_"You don't actually _believe _him, do you?" Norrington asked as he stood up, having finished vomiting and looked at Elizabeth. _

_"How do we find it?" Elizabeth wanted to know. From the look in her eyes, Arianna could tell she didn't entirely trust Jack, but she did want to get them back as soon as possible._

_"With this," Jack answered, producing his compass and holding it out to her, opening and closing it quickly. "My compass is unique." _

_"Unique here having the meaning of broken," Norrington interjected._

_"True enough, this compass does not point north," Jack agreed as he headed over to vomit in the harbour again. _

_"Where does it point?" Elizabeth asked, still regarding Jack with wariness in her eyes. Arianna was practically on the edge of her seat as she listened to this. What was it about the compass that was so valuable and why did Beckett want is so badly? _

_"It points to the thing you want most in this world," Jack answered with a devious grin. _

_Elizabeth's eyes widened and Arianna felt shock rising through her. "Jack," she whispered, "are you telling the truth?" _

_"Every word, love." _

Arianna was jolted out of her vision as her father walked down the steps, looking at her with pride and love. "I never thought that I would see you again," he told her as he sat down next to her, handing her a bottle of rum.

She shook her head. "No thank you," she said politely. "I've never actually had a taste for it."

"Good girl," Bootstrap Bill told her as he took a swig of it. "It's probably better for a lass like you anyway." He smiled slightly. "Your brother told me about that lad of yours."

"I keep thinking that if . . . if I'd done things differently," she said at long last, "maybe it would've ended up differently. Maybe if I hadn't gone with Will and plunged into pirating, I wouldn't have lost him the way that I had." She sighed. "I just feel so angry about it, all the time. And I knew Finn feels the same way."

"There's no use thinking about what might have been, lass," her father told her quietly. "Eventually, it's just going to consume you, if you keep thinking like that. It'll take over your life. Believe me," he added with a sigh. "The one thing that I regret in my life is leaving the two of you. And your mother. That kind of thinking will only lead you to do things that you're going to regret later. You can't change the past, Arianna," he told her. "And it's no good living in it either. Eventually you'll have to face the future."

"Unfortunately, I've got no choice but to face the future," Arianna said grimly. "Did Will find out where the key is?"

"Aye," Bootstrap Bill answered. "He'll be waiting for you. Tonight, you'll need to get out of here." He paused. "If you and your lad are meant to be together, Arianna, then you'll find a way to be together. Even piracy cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while."

Arianna let out a deep sigh. "Sometimes it's hard to believe in it," she whispered softly, thinking of Finn. Where was he now? What was he doing? Was he thinking about here, away at sea and once again engaged in piracy? And if so, was he going to break his word to love her forever, or would he defend her against his father?

For anyone else, it would've been impossible to know, but Arianna Turner was soon starting to realise that often the things that she felt were true _were_ true. And if she turned to those feelings now, she knew that Finn was thinking about her and would love her forever, just as she would love him. Her love for him would never change, never die. It would haunt her, would remain within her, until she was no more.

Even if they would never be able to be together, their love would remain true and just until the end of time.

--

"I cannot believe that you almost bartered your soul to Davy Jones," she hissed at her brother as they climbed into the captain's cabin while their father went to distract the crew. Will glared at her, but said nothing as they walked closer to Jones, asleep at the piano. She kept her mouth shut after they closed the door, not wanting to wake him up and get caught, but she would definitely be yelling at him later. How he could be so reckless and careless was beyond her, but she knew why he'd done it.

Making a mental note to tell him later about her vision, Arianna slipped off to find something to lift the tentacles with as Will walked over to the pirate, making sure the key was where it had been a few hours ago. Picking up a pair of quills, Arianna returned to her brother, handing them to him as she returned to the door to keep an eye out while watching Will.

He gently lifted the tentacles away from the key, though he accidentally dropped one onto a locket that lay on the piano, but it opened from the force and gentle music played, lulling Jones back to sleep. Arianna's eyes fastened on the locket, recognising it. But the only question was where?

Will managed to get the key without any other slip-ups and he slid the parchment with the drawing where it had been so Jones wouldn't realise what had happened—at least until morning. Without waiting to see if he would wake up, the twins slipped away, up to the wheel, where their father was waiting worriedly for them, preparing a boat.

"Here, take this, too," he told Will, handing him a knife.

He turned to Arianna and gave her a chain that shimmered silver in the moonlight. Hanging around it were two rings and as Arianna lifted them to the light, she could see the words that were written on the inside: _Eternally yours, love forever._

"Those were your mother's and mine, it's time it was passed on to you," her father said as he looked at them. "Now, get yourself to land and stay there. It was always in my blood to die at sea. But it was not a fate I wanted for the two of you."

"It's not a fate you had to choose for yourself either," Will told him softly as he examined the knife, pushing it back into its sheath.

"Aye, I could say I did what I had to, when I left you both to go pirating," Bootstrap Bill admitted as he looked at them. "But it would taste a life to say it wasn't what I wanted." Arianna turned her head to her father. "You owe me nothing, either of you. Now go."

"They'll know that you helped us, though," Arianna pointed out. Her father laughed.

"What more could they do to me?" he asked, still laughing. She smiled reluctantly as Will pulled out the knife.

"I take this with a promise," he told their father. "I'll find a way to sever Jones's hold on you and not rest until this blade pierces his heart. I will not abandon you," he added. "I promise."

Arianna smiled. "Neither of us will," she agreed as she climbed into the boat with her brother. It was not until they were halfway away from the _Flying Dutchmen_ that Arianna remembered about the locket that had been lying on the piano.

And only then did it hit her where she had seen the locket before.

Around the neck of Tia Dalma.


	6. Claiming the Heart

**Times of Trouble**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Six: Claiming the Heart

It was incredible that they were able to find a ship—and not a pirate ship, but a merchant ship—on their way to wherever they were going. Arianna was shivering by the time that they climbed on board, her clothes soaked, but the captain didn't question her as he gave them both a cup of hot tea and some blankets. "It's not often that we find a couple of boys in a longboat this far out in open water," he commented as Arianna gulped down the hot liquid.

She glanced up, startled that he thought that she was a boy, but shot Will a look of warning so he wouldn't dispute that comment. It was the last thing that they needed at the moment. "Just put as many leagues between us as you can," he told them, "as fast as you can."

"What exactly are we running from?" the captain asked him as Arianna's eyes fell on something behind the captain. She nudged her brother and nodded towards it. His eyes drifted towards her indication and he stood up so fast that his tea sloshed over the side, but he paid no mind as he walked over to the dress that was lying on the captain's chair.

"Where did you get this dress?" he asked sharply. They both had recognised it immediately; that was Elizabeth's wedding dress. Which meant that Arianna's vision hadn't been wrong and Elizabeth was out of jail and safe. At least, away from Beckett's claws. Arianna didn't know if she was safe with Jack, but that was better than with Beckett.

"It was found aboard the ship," the captain answered as Will picked it up, examining it as Arianna joined him. There was no doubting it; this was Elizabeth's dress. "The crew thought that it was a spirit bringing some omen of ill-fate."

"That's foolish," Arianna observed as Will held the dress tightly, obviously thinking of his fiancée.

"Oh, yes," a crew member said, laughing uneasily. "Exceedingly foolish." The other two joined in the laughter.

"It brought us good fortune, though, didn't it?" another crew member said, grinning. "The spirit told us 'Pull in at Tortuga.' Made a nice bit of profit there. Off the books, of course," he added, spotting the thunderous look in the captain's eyes.

Will turned around. "I imagine," he said in a voice of mild curiosity, "that some of your crew may have jumped ship there."

The captain frowned. "Why do you ask?" he wanted to know. Arianna grinned triumphantly, knowing they'd hit on something. Elizabeth _had_ been on this ship and she'd had them pull in at Tortuga, where they had been going in search of Jack.

"Captain!" A crew member hurried in, looking alarmed. "A ship's been spotted."

"Colours?"

"She isn't flying any," he replied.

"Pirates," the captain muttered as he climbed up the steps to deal with the ship that had appeared.

"Or worse," Will responded as the twins followed him.

Arianna climbed up after her brother until they were on the ledge above the sails. She stared at the ship that was following them; how had the _Flying Dutchmen_ caught up to them so fast? "I've doomed us all," Will whispered, true horror in his voice before yelling down to the captain, "It's the _Flying Dutchmen_!"

"Will, grab hold of something!" Arianna had no sooner warned him when something rocked the ship. She had already managed to grab hold of a rope but she still barely managed to stay on the ledge as they were shook.

"What was that?" Will asked as he managed to pull himself back up onto the ledge. She looked at him.

"Remember Gibbs' story?" Arianna asked as she recalled what Gibbs had told them about Davy Jones on the way to Tia Dalma's. "It's the kraken." She had no sooner spoken than a tentacle grabbed hold of the captain, yanking him underneath the sea.

The kraken raised its tentacles and started destroyed the ship, taking any of the crew that it could reach. "Jack's right," Arianna muttered as she watched them scream and run from the kraken. "They really are the pride of England." She shook her head in exasperation.

Will was in no mood for jokes, however, as he grabbed hold of his sister. "Hold on to me!" he yelled in her ear over the screaming below. She obeyed as he grabbed hold of the rope as the kraken brought the pole crashing down. He held onto it until they reached the sails, then let go, using the knife that their father had given him to slow their way down until they reached the deck.

Arianna yanked out her sword as one of the tentacles came towards them and slashed as hard as she could. It withered in pain, but she doubted that she hurt it much. No, she probably just made it angry.

The moment that it raised its huge tentacles above the ship, Arianna knew what was going to happen. "Will, it's going to bring the ship down!" she yelled to her brother. He nodded as he seized her, grabbing hold of a pole as it was brought down and they were both thrown into the sea. Grabbing her brother's hand, Arianna swam as far away from the ship as she could, finally reaching some wreckage.

"Is it over?" she whispered, laying down on it for a minute.

"For now," Will said, sounding as tired as she felt. The twins lay still for a minute, then Arianna looked towards the _Dutchmen. _"We killed them all," Will said softly, "just by being there."

"No, we didn't," Arianna told him. "Jones killed them. He was the one who sent the kraken, Will, not us. If you want to blame someone, blame him. Blame Jack for sending us on the _Dutchmen_ in the first place. But do not blame yourself. You are not responsible for what happened. Now, come on," she said, sitting up. "Jones knows that the chest isn't safe now. He'll be going for it. All we have to do is stay out of sight until we reach wherever it's hidden."

--

_"Do you ever miss it?" Finn asked her as they sat together on the parapet where several months earlier Jack had jumped off and towards freedom. "Just going off and having an adventure? Do you ever think about going back out there?" _

_"Sometimes," Arianna admitted as she pulled her legs up underneath her. "But it's not as bad as it was before. I mean, I had Will, but there wasn't anything really holding me here, some reason that I shouldn't. Now I do and I'm not going to give that up." _

_Finn grinned as he drew her around him. "You know, I have to say that when we first met that day Sparrow escaped, I never would have expected we'd end up here, feeling like this," he remarked as he twirled a strand of her brown hair around his finger. "You're so beautiful." _

_"Stop," Arianna said with a laugh, feeling her face heat up. "Flattery will get you nowhere, you know." _

_"I was actually telling you the truth," Finn told her as he gently turned her blushing face towards his. "You're the most beautiful woman that I've ever known, Arianna, and I've known a lot of beautiful women. But none of them has ever shown the passion and courage that you have shown me. It's what makes you so different from any other girl and I think that's what entrances me so." _

_"Entrances you?" Arianna was actually intrigued by this. "Really?" He nodded with a grin. "Well . . . maybe flattery will get you somewhere." _

_Finn laughed. "You've cast a spell over me, Arianna Turner," he told her softly. "You're in my every thought, every dream, every moment of my waking hour and sleeping one." He bent over her, pulling her into a deep and tender kiss. "I love you," he whispered. _

_Arianna stared up at him, shell-shocked. It was the first time that he'd ever said that to her. She had never imagined that anyone would ever say that to her. But now, things were different. She understood what love was. _

_"I love you, too," she whispered, wrapping her hands around his neck as he kissed her again. And like every time before that, his kiss sent a wonderful blissful feeling down her spine. _

_It was too bad that her life couldn't remain like that day on the top of Port Royal, with the man she loved . . ._

Arianna shifted slightly as she woke, the early morning sun piercing her still-tired eyes as she shifted her position from hiding on the _Dutchmen_. Will was next to her, more awake then she was, but she knew he had only woken up a few minutes previously.

"Will," she whispered softly and he looked at her. "Do you ever wish that we could go back to the way things were? Before we met up with Jack and got involved in all of this?"

He was silent for a long moment. "Sometimes," he admitted. "But then I think about Elizabeth. I wouldn't change that part of my life for anything. And you would be miserable seeing the two of us so happy, Ari." He sighed. "I know that you still love Finn, all right? I know that. But I don't know if I can ever forgive him for the way that he treated you."

"I'm not asking you to," she answered. "Just to trust me."

"Always," Will responded, looking at her with a smile. "Just . . . Ari, please be careful. He's already broken your heart once, he's more than likely going to do it again."

"You're being optimistic, Will," Arianna said with a wry smile. "You're assuming that we're going to live long enough for him to break my heart." Her brother chuckled and she laughed. Then she became serious again. "I know that he loves me, brother, and he always will. Just like I always will love him. But I also know that we're never going to be together. We could never find a way to be together, not after all of this."

Her brother reached out and stroked her brown hair as she leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder. And for the moment, anyway, she felt safer than she had for awhile.

Arianna looked up when the _Dutchmen_ started slowing down and she spotted the _Black Pearl_ ahead. "Look!" she whispered, pointing this out to her brother. She grinned with a mixture of relief and wariness. "I think this is where we're supposed to get off."

"Come on," Will said, taking her hand. The moment that the island was within reach, they dived off of the ship and into the water. By then, it no longer mattered if they were spotted by the _Dutchmen_'s crew.

Propelling herself forward, Arianna swam towards the island. Swimming was much easier in trousers than it was in a skirt. Not to mention, she hated wearing skirts unless she could help it. Pants were much easier to fight in than dresses were.

When they reached the island, Arianna heard voices talking not too far away and the twins headed towards where the speakers were. "It's real!" a familiar female voice said.

"You actually were telling the truth," a male voice said as the speakers came into view. Arianna's mouth dropped open at the sight of Elizabeth, Jack, and Norrington.

"I do that quite a lot," Jack responded, looking towards Norrington, slightly miffed by his remark. "Yet people are always surprised."

"With good reason!" Arianna called out, catching the attention of the three people standing around the chest. Elizabeth's expression turned to pure joy at the sight of her fiancé and best friend. She jumped up and raced over to Will, hugging him tightly.

"Thank god the both of you are all right," she exclaimed once she'd properly greeted Will. Then she hugged Arianna. "I came to find you."

Jack wasn't too pleased to see the two of them, but he did look surprised as he stared at them before looking around at them, as though expecting a ship to appear out of nowhere. "How did you get here?" he finally asked, looking expectantly at the twins.

"Sea turtles, mate," Will responded as he held Elizabeth tightly. Norrington looked a bit uneasy as he watched them, Arianna noted. Apparently he was still in love with Elizabeth. "A pair of them strapped to our feet."

"Not so easy, is it?" Jack asked with a wry smile. Everyone present knew the old Jack Sparrow story, where he'd escaped an island strapped to a couple of sea turtles.

"But I do owe you thanks, Jack," Will added. "After you tricked us onto that ship to square your debt with Jones—"

"What?" Elizabeth demanded, looking outraged as she turned towards Jack, who winced.

"What?" he asked in an uncanny imitation of Elizabeth. Norrington looked amused at this.

"We were reunited with our father," Will finished up. Elizabeth let go of Will and stomped over to Jack, looking livid.

"Everything that you said to me!" she snapped. "Every word was a lie?" Jack was slightly afraid of her as he back up slightly while Will joined them. Arianna glanced over towards the ship, walking away from them for a minute as she stared towards the _Dutchmen. _

"Uh-oh," she muttered as she hurried back over to where they'd been a minute ago. "We've got company!" she called just as she realised that there was no one there. All three of the men were fighting and Elizabeth was yelling at them. Ragetti and Pintel had taken off with the chest. "Oh, no, you don't," she muttered, grabbing her sword and taking off in pursuit.


	7. Losing a Captain

**Times of Trouble**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Seven: Losing a Captain

As Arianna chased them into the jungle, she heard Elizabeth run up behind her. "Here!" she yelled at her, tossing her an extra sword that she'd swiped from the _Dutchmen_. From past experience, she knew that it was always handy to have an extra sword with her. Besides that, she had the feeling that she was going to need it.

Elizabeth caught the sword by the hilt as they chased the pirates through the jungle. As though things weren't bad enough, they had to chase down two half-witted pirates who barely had enough brains to keep themselves alive. Arianna grumbled as the two women followed them through the jungle.

"Stay behind them!" Elizabeth called to her, taking off in another direction. "I'll cut them off up ahead." She nodded, continuing to follow the two pirates as they tried to outrun them while Elizabeth vanished from sight, reappearing a few minutes later in front of the pirates, causing them to stop.

Arianna slowed to a stop as they looked between the two women, yanking out their swords as Elizabeth held her threateningly. As she gripped the hilt on her own, Arianna heard a noise and looked around just in time to see her brother and Norrington on top of a wheel that was rolling with them fighting on top and Jack chasing after it.

"What in the name of . . .?" she began, but returned her attention to the pirates as they were about to attack Elizabeth.

At least, they would've, had Jones's crew not appeared behind them and the two pirates dropped their swords and grabbed the chest, taking off with it, leaving the two women to deal with them. Until the moment they'd appeared, Arianna had forgotten about them, more focused on getting the chest back then about the crew that was determined to kill them on Jones's orders.

_I really am becoming a pirate,_ Arianna thought dryly, though this brought no humour to her at the moment. Looking towards Elizabeth, she yanked on her best friend's sleeve. "RUN!" she shouted and took off behind the pirates as they raced back towards the longboat with the chest in tow, battling as many of Jones's crew as they could. However, Pintel and Ragetti dropped it once and they'd had to double back for it.

Will had taught Elizabeth well, she thought approvingly as she snatched up one of the abandoned swords and fought expertly with it. If anyone saw her now, no one would recognise her as the once privileged and high-born daughter of Governor Swann. No, Elizabeth, like Arianna and Will, was becoming a pirate. After everything they were going through, they were starting to have no other option to their lives.

As they managed to get back to the longboat, they found Jack next to it, protecting his jar of dirt as best he could. Arianna was fending off a couple of Jones's crew as the wheel rolled past them, finally dropping onto its side. Will and Norrington both dropped out, though her brother was so dizzy he could barely stand up. Norrington escaped to go grab something from the longboat as Jack was busy fighting a crew member. Her heart sank as she realised what was happening, but before she could stop him, they were backed into a corner and Jack had knocked Will unconscious with an oar.

"Leave him lie!" Jack ordered Elizabeth as she rushed over to her fiancé, glaring furiously at Jack. "Unless you plan on using him to hit something with," he added, glancing at the surrounding crew. Arianna shook her head as she held the sword in her hand.

"I don't suppose you've got one of your oh so brilliant plans to get us out of this, Captain Sparrow?" she snapped at him. She was still angry with him for tricking them onto that ship in the first place.

"We're not getting out of this," Elizabeth said helplessly. Norrington glanced at her, then at the crew.

"Not with the chest," he agreed as he snatched it up. "Into the boat!" he ordered them. "Don't wait for me."

"You're mad!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Norrington shrugged as he hauled the chest into his hands, taking off into the jungle. The crew turned away from the six remaining pirates and let them be, following Norrington.

"I say that we respect his final wish," Jack suggested as Arianna hoisted her still-unconscious brother into the boat. The others climbed into the boat as they made their way towards the _Pearl_, where the rest of the crew was waiting. Unsurprisingly, they all looked startled at seeing the twins there, but none of them commented.

"Where's the commodore?" Gibbs asked, looking around for Norrington.

"Fell behind," Jack answered calmly.

Gibbs nodded, walking away with Jack, still talking to the pirate captain while Elizabeth stayed with her fiancé and Arianna went to go help the crew launch the ship. They needed to get as far away from this place as they could. As _fast_ as they could.

Unfortunately, they had the _Dutchmen_ on them and there was one thing that the _Dutchmen_ was good at was finding ships that didn't want to be found. It didn't take Jones long to catch up to them. Arianna gasped in shock and horror as it rose from the sea, launching itself onto the surface right next to the _Pearl_. "This is not good!" she muttered as Jack strode forward.

"I'll handle this!" he announced, holding up his jar of dirt. Arianna rolled her eyes, knowing it would do no good. They didn't have the chest and neither did Jones. Norrington had taken it, though neither Jack nor Jones knew that. As far as Jones knew, it was still in the chest and as far as Jack knew, it was in his jar of dirt. "Oi! Fishface! Lose something, eh? Come to negotiate, eh, have you, you slimy git? Look what I got. _I've got a jar of dirt,_" he sang. "_I've got a jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it?_"

Jack was grinning idiotically as Jones, who'd apparently had enough of this, started loading the guns onto the _Pearl_. Then his smile vanished. "Hard to starboard!" Arianna ordered, taking command. This was no time for Jack's games.

"Brace up the foreyard!" Will shouted. There was no time to even think twice; they moved as fast and quickly as they could as cannons were fired onto the ship whilst she moved away from the _Dutchmen_ as quickly as she could. Jack raced up to the helm and took the wheel.

"She's falling behind!" Elizabeth announced suddenly as she looked behind them. Arianna glanced behind her; sure enough, the _Dutchmen _was losing them.

"Aye, we've got her!" Gibbs exclaimed happily.

"We're the faster?" Will asked incredulously.

"Against the wind, the _Dutchmen_ beats us," Gibbs explained to all of them. "That's how she takes her prey." Arianna nodded in understanding, finally realising how so many ships had fallen prey to Jones. "But with the wind . . ."

"We rob her advantage," Arianna finished up for him as Will pulled away, hurrying up to talk to Jack. She had a feeling she knew exactly what he was going to talk to him about; freeing their father.

She had promised their father they'd free him, too, but she also knew that there was a time and place for everything. They couldn't save their father right now; they had to save themselves.

What was remarkable funny to her later was that just as that thought occurred to her, the ship trembled and Arianna was thrown off of her feet, landing unceremoniously onto the ground. "What the—"

Scrambling to her feet, she looked around, seeing the bewildered looks of the crew. "Load the guns!" she shrieked at them. "It's the kraken!"

Arianna raced below deck to help them load onto the guns while Will took command aboard deck. "Steady, boys," she warned as the kraken began moving its tentacles higher and higher around the ship. She looked up towards her brother. "On your signal," she told him. He nodded. "Steady," she ordered the crew. "Steady. Hold, hold!"

"I think we've held fire long enough," Ragetti snarled at her. She ignored him, waiting for her brother's signal.

"Now!" Will yelled at her.

"Fire!" she shouted. They lit the cannons and gunfire exploded from the guns, hitting the kraken accurately.

It squealed and howled in pain as Arianna looked out towards the ocean, where it was writhing with pain, lowering its tentacles back into the water. She let out a sigh of relief, but knew they weren't out of this just yet. "It'll be back," she told her brother.

He nodded, glancing towards Elizabeth. "We have to get off of the ship," he added. She looked towards the twins helplessly.

"But there's no boats," she pointed out, glancing towards the ruined longboats, their only hope of escape. Desperation filled through Arianna as she stared at what remained of them.

"There was one left," she muttered, frowning. "Where'd it go?" Then she knew; there was no sign of Jack anywhere. "Bloody pirates," she grumbled. If she didn't survive this, she was going to be his personal poltergeist.

Arianna grasped the necklace that her father had given her as Will issued orders to get the gunpowder into the cargo net. She hurried below deck, helping the crew to load it into the net. "Miss Arianna!" Gibbs yelled to her. "We've only got half a dozen barrels!"

She groaned slightly, then brightened. "Then load the rum!" she told him cheerfully, glad to have a reason to get rid of it. He stared at her incredulously as silence fell over the ship at her proclamation. "Do it!" she ordered, walking away. "You can get more rum later, if we survive this. If we don't, then there's not going to be much use for it."

Walking away, she rejoined Elizabeth, directing the crew as the kraken reappeared, shoving its tentacles through the ship in an attempt to bring her down. "Heave!" she yelled to them as they pulled to lift the net higher. "Put your backs into it!"

"Heave like you're being paid to do it!" Gibbs yelled at them. The kraken was taking victims left and right and the ship was being torn apart as the net was lifted higher and higher. Will was held onto it, his knife in one hand as Arianna lost sight of him when she raced to help some of the crew, slashing down on one of the tentacles.

Without warning, she felt as though something were climbing onto the side of the ship and she glanced over. "Where did you think you were going, Captain?" she inquired as she grabbed Jack's arm, hauling him back onto his beloved _Pearl_.

"Never mind that!" Jack snapped at her as he hurried off to assist Elizabeth, who was rushing to grab the gun to shoot the barrels of rum and gunpowder with. Arianna shook her head, hurrying after him as he picked up the gun and firing towards the gunpowder.

"Will!" she shouted. "Get clear!" Her brother heard her warning and yanked himself free, falling onto the deck just as the bullet was fired into a barrel, causing a huge explosion from all of them. Arianna ducked for cover, only emerging when she heard the kraken gave a loud groan, slowly lowering itself into the water.

"Did we kill it?" a crew member finally asked after a long moment of silence. Arianna slowly stood up, shaking her head.

"No," she whispered. "It's not dead. Not by a long shot." Gibbs nodded in agreement as he glanced towards the crew.

"The girl's right," he said. "We just made it angry. We're not out of this yet," he added, hurrying over to Jack. "Captain! Orders!"

"Abandon ship," he replied, looking reasonably calm. "Into the longboat."

"Jack," Arianna said, "for once in your life, you're talking sense." She joined the rest of the crew as they climbed over the side, climbing down into the boat that was waiting for them. As Will joined them, he had a disturbed look on his face. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing," he said quietly as he looked away from her. She didn't believe him for one minute, but due to the situation, she overlooked it. Elizabeth climbed down next and he helped her into the boat, looking at her somewhat angrily. "Where's Jack?"

There was no doubt about it; there was something going on between the two of them, Arianna realised. She felt, rather than saw, guilt rising through Elizabeth as she looked at her brother. What was going on with them? What had Elizabeth done?

"He elected to stay behind to give us a chance," she replied. Arianna felt the lie of her words, but knew the truth as well as Elizabeth did; Jones wasn't after the _Pearl_, he was after Jack. This was the only way to save all of them. If they stayed, all of them would die. It didn't make the situation any easier, but that was the pure truth.

Besides, it wasn't the first time she'd condemned him. "Go," she told the pirates, glancing up towards the _Pearl_, knowing it would not be the last time that she saw either the ship or her captain.

_We'll meet again, Jack Sparrow,_ Arianna thought as they rowed away from the ship. _I promise you, we will find a way to free you from Davy Jones' locker. Both you and my father. _

AN: Okay, guys, I've only been getting one review on the last couple of chapters. So, please, please, please reveiw this chapter. I'll post the next chapter tonight if you do, okay? Please?


	8. Memories

**Times of Trouble**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Eight: Memories

There was nothing they could do, nothing any of them could do as they stared helplessly from the longboat, watching as the kraken took the _Black Pearl_ down to the depths from which she had been raised. But this time, she took her captain down with her. It was the agreement that Jack Sparrow had made with Davy Jones and now the debt had been settled. The matter was over and done with, as the crew watched their captain go down with his ship.

They said nothing as they watched, a feeling of unknowing grief weighing down upon them. Arianna turned away, unable to watch Jack's final moment, and stared ahead of them. Elizabeth didn't look much better, from the look in her eyes. Jack Sparrow was gone, body and soul, and his crew moved away from his final resting place, heading towards land, to safety.

Arianna stared ahead of them, memories of the past year filling through her mind as they rowed. Finn Warren was the love of her life, the man that she would choose above all others, but forced apart by people who would condemn her for simply being who she was. Because there was no denying now that she was a pirate, body and soul, mind and heart. It was now part of who she was destined to become.

And as that thought swam through her mind, memories of Finn seeped through, allowing her to soak them up, hold on to them. Because now, they were all she had left of him.

_"Do you ever miss it?" Finn asked her as they sat together on the parapet where several months earlier Jack had jumped off and towards freedom. "Just going off and having an adventure? Do you ever think about going back out there?" _

_"Sometimes," Arianna admitted as she pulled her legs up underneath her. "But it's not as bad as it was before. I mean, I had Will, but there wasn't anything really holding me here, some reason that I shouldn't. Now I do and I'm not going to give that up." _

_Finn grinned as he drew her around him. "You know, I have to say that when we first met that day Sparrow escaped, I never would have expected we'd end up here, feeling like this," he remarked as he twirled a strand of her brown hair around his finger. "You're so beautiful." _

_"Stop," Arianna said with a laugh, feeling her face heat up. "Flattery will get you nowhere, you know." _

_"I was actually telling you the truth," Finn told her as he gently turned her blushing face towards his. "You're the most beautiful woman that I've ever known, Arianna, and I've known a lot of beautiful women. But none of them has ever shown the passion and courage that you have shown me. It's what makes you so different from any other girl and I think that's what entrances me so." _

_"Entrances you?" Arianna was actually intrigued by this. "Really?" He nodded with a grin. "Well . . . maybe flattery will get you somewhere." _

_Finn laughed. "You've cast a spell over me, Arianna Turner," he told her softly. "You're in my every thought, every dream, every moment of my waking hour and sleeping one." He bent over her, pulling her into a deep and tender kiss. "I love you," he whispered. _

_Arianna stared up at him, shell-shocked. It was the first time that he'd ever said that to her. She had never imagined that anyone would ever say that to her, especially from the man she loved back. But now, things were different. She understood what love was. _

_"I love you, too," she whispered, wrapping her hands around his neck as he kissed her again. And like every time before that, his kiss sent a wonderful blissful feeling down her spine. _

_--_

_With a joyful smile at the man she loved, Arianna watched as Finn slipped the ring onto her finger, looking at her with pure joy. There was no one there on the parapet, save for the two of them. The sea glistened behind them and the sun was slowly rising higher into the sky. At that moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the entire world. _

_"Arianna Turner," Finn said with a smile at her, "will you marry me?" He sat there like a little schoolboy, as though asking if he could have sweets. The question deserved an answer and they both knew what her answer would be. They had known it from the moment they met each other, months ago, what her answer would be. _

_"You're asking me now?" she asked, a playful smile crossing her lips. "Here?" He nodded. _

_"This is our spot, no matter what happens," Finn said with a shrug. "It's the place where our story began, the two of us. Where you set free a pirate condemned to death, attacking several soldiers with your brother in the process." _

_Rolling her eyes, Arianna made a face at him. "Thank you for reminding me of that," she told him. "To be honest, I was actually trying to forget about it." _

_Finn laughed. "And it's also the place where we confessed our love for each other," he said softly. She smiled, remembering that moment as though it were yesterday. "So, now, it's where you can agree to become Mrs. Finn Warren. All that's left for you to do, Anna, is say yes." _

_She smiled at him, staring down at the ring that he had put on her finger. "I gave you my answer a long time ago," she whispered, reaching out and touching his cheek. _

_With a smile that was wide enough to spread all the way across the Caribbean, Finn swooped her up and kissed her more passionately than he had in the past year. She held on to him, kissing him back, and although she didn't say anything, she knew that their happiness was not going to last. If only she could have known why . . ._

_--_

_"Get out of this house!" Mr. Warren shouted, grabbing his gun and pointing it towards Arianna. Her eyes widened as Finn hurried down the steps, looking shocked at the scene that met his eyes. "I will not have you stay here and corrupt my son! Get out!" _

_"Dad, what are you doing?" Finn yelled at him, managing to pry the gun away from his father. "All right, you need to go lay down. Nancy!" he yelled towards one of the maids. She appeared, looking fearfully towards them as she saw the situation at hand. "Can you take my father upstairs and get him a cup of tea, please?" _

_"Of course, Lieutenant," she said with a curtsy. She looked towards Arianna. "Miss Turner," she added with another curtsy as she steered Mr. Warren away from them. _

_Finn shook his head. "I'm sorry, Anna, I don't know what that was all about," he remarked as he took her hand. "He didn't scare you too badly, did he?" Finn asked, looking at her pale face. She shook her head. "I'm sorry about that. Let's go for a walk." _

_She didn't complain as they walked away from the Warren house. Neither one spoke as they walked together, but she sensed the beginning of the end. _

_--_

_"I told you before to stay away from him!" Mr. Warren roared at her. "It's not my fault that you didn't listen and had to go and get involved with my son anyway!" Arianna stood helplessly at the door, staring him down. _

_"I still don't understand why you did this to us!" Arianna snapped, her temper rising. "You gave your consent to Finn so he could court me, you even let him propose to me! And _now_ you're saying that he can't marry me? Why? I need to know why you suddenly have this intolerable hatred for me!" _

_"I'll tell you why," he said coldly. "It's because a woman needs to know her place and you can't seem to do that. Oh, I'll admit you're a beauty and it's no mystery why he would want to have you as his wife, but you've too much spirit. Too much longing for a life that is unsuitable for a young lady." _

_"Finn never complained," Arianna retorted. "And shouldn't who he wants for a wife be his own choice?" _

_"He's young and known to make mistakes," Mr. Warren responded. He stepped closer to her. "And here's the main reason why I won't allow for you to become Finley's wife: I will not have a pirate for a daughter-in-law." Without waiting for her to reply, Mr. Warren slammed the door into her face, letting Arianna to stand there, crestfallen, before finally trudging home with tears pouring down her face. As she walked through the blacksmith's shop, she walked straight into her brother's arms, allowing herself to be comforted. _

_--_

_Arianna sat alone in the cell, shivering slightly as she tried to ignore the catcalls and whistles from some of the men in jail. Finally, she gave up, stood up, and turned towards them, her eyes blazing with fury and anger. "If any man here even so much makes one more disgusting remark like that," she said, her voice quiet but carrying with power, "then I will personally make that man a eunuch. Am I understood?" she asked, glaring at them. _

_The men all stared at her, then backed away from the enraged girl, conversing amongst themselves. "I thought so," Arianna muttered as she sat back down, pressing her head into her knees. _

_She glanced up when she heard clapping and looked up, her heart giving a painful twist when she saw Finn standing there. He was grinning slightly as he closed the cell door behind him, joining her on the ground. "That was nicely handled," he commented. _

_"What are you doing here?" she said quietly, not really in the mood to talk to him. She didn't look at him, couldn't look into his green eyes with it hurting too much to bear. "I didn't think that your father would allow you down here, Finn. Especially not after this." _

_Finn reached out and lifted her chin so that she was forced to look up at him, straight into his green eyes. "This isn't what I wanted, Arianna," he told her quietly. "I wanted you to be my wife, I told you that when I started courting you. Believe me, if I'd known that my father was going to react the way that he did, I wouldn't have put you through that. I would've just let you be, if only to not cause you the pain that you're going through." _

_"You could have stood up for me," Arianna pointed out. "Finn, you could have said that you were going to marry me, no matter what he said." _

_"I did." Arianna glanced up at him as he spoke, sea-blue eyes confused as he sighed, leaning back against the cell wall. "I did tell him that, after you ran out in tears, Arianna. You . . . you are the one that I want, not anyone else and that is never going to change." He cupped her face in his hands, drawing her in close. "You're my heart and soul, Arianna. My Anna," he added softly and she smiled slightly at the private nickname that he called her. _

_"Finn . . ." she began, but she was incapable of saying anything after that as he kissed her. The flood of emotions poured through her, coursed through her veins as she remembered why she loved him so much. He had never once judged her, never condemned her because of the way she was. And he had never tried to change her, just accepted her for the way that she was. The only two people who had done that before were Will and Elizabeth. _

_"I love you," Finn whispered. "And I always will. You are the one that I will choose above all others, Anna." He caressed her hair as she looked up at him, heart almost spilling over with happiness. "But I'm not so sure that we'll be able to find a way to be together. Don't get me wrong, I want to," he said quickly, reading Arianna's expression. "But Beckett is more dangerous than even the most bloodthirsty pirates. I'm not so sure we'll find a way. I've just got to find a way to get you out of here." _

Arianna stared up at the sky, knowing Finn was somewhere, underneath the same sky and staring up at it. _I love you, Finn Warren_. _Don't forget that. Do not forget about me, Finn. I am yours until the end of time. _


	9. Back from the Dead

**Times of Trouble**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Nine: Back from the Dead

They sat in silence and sorrow, all thinking about Jack as they rowed back to Tia Dalma's, where she was expecting them. She had already known what was going to happen, Arianna realised, maybe even when they had left here before. Somehow, this thought didn't really make her feel any better.

Sitting down at the table, Arianna stared at the candles, not really seeing them, but her thoughts far away, on Finn, on Jack, on everything that she had lost. Truth was, she did care about Jack Sparrow. He frustrated her to no end, drove her insane at times, but when did Will not do that? Somehow, in the time since she'd met him, Jack had found his way into her heart. He had become as sort of a mixture between father and brother for her. Arianna couldn't imagine the world without Jack Sparrow in it. He had always made life insane, but he was the one who had helped them, helped all of them, find their way. Where would she be without Jack?

Arianna instantly knew the answer to that. She would still be that timid, meek little girl that ran errands for her brother and hid her sword skills behind people's back, acting like the young woman that she was supposed to be. Without Jack, she would never have found the courage to stand up for herself and the people she cared about. She never would have gone to Isle de la Muetra to save Elizabeth, never would have gone with Will to find the key . . . she would have stayed that same little girl.

And she could barely even remember that girl. She was a completely different person now and couldn't imagine going back to her old life, before she'd met Jack and Finn. They had changed her, made her grow up into a woman. And a pirate.

Tia Dalma appeared beside her, carrying a tray of mead, her face kind and sympathetic. Arianna glanced towards the necklace that she wore; sure enough, it was the same one that she'd seen on Davy Jones's piano. "There was nothing you could have done to help him," she said kindly. "When Davy Jones takes a prisoner, there is no stopping him."

"If anyone could have outwitted him, it would've been Jack," Arianna muttered, accepting the mug that she handed her. Sipping the contents, she sighed, leaning her head back as Tia Dalma offered refreshments to the rest of the crew. Will was tossing his knife onto the table as she walked over to him.

"It's a shame," Tia Dalma said gently. "I know you were thinking that with the _Pearl_ you could have captured the devil and set free your father's soul." Will looked at her, taking the mug but not drinking out of it.

"It doesn't matter now," he said, his voice filled with bitterness. "The _Pearl_ is gone, along with her captain."

"Aye," Gibbs said from where he stood on the porch. "And already the world seems a bit less bright." Gibbs walked back inside. "He fooled us all, right to the end. But I guess that honest streak finally won out." Arianna glanced quickly towards Elizabeth, who stared determinedly at her mug, not letting herself look at anyone. "To Jack Sparrow," Gibbs added, holding up his mug.

"Never another like Captain Jack!" Pintel added.

"He was a gentleman of fortune, he was," Ragetti put in.

Elizabeth held up her own mug in toast. "He was a good man," she said quietly. Arianna saw her brother stop at her words, but sipped the drink. She sighed deeply as she drank, but her best friend was unable to drink to the toast, overcome by grief and guilt.

"If there was anything that could be done to bring him back . . ." Will said, surprising everyone, including his sister. He stood up and walked towards his fiancée. "Elizabeth."

"Would you do it?" Tia Dalma asked quickly. He looked towards her as she looked towards the rest of the crew. "What would you . . . hmm? What would any of you be willing to do, hmm?" She walked away from them, a peculiar look on her face. Arianna stared at her; was it even possible? "Would you go to the ends of the Earth and beyond to fetch back witty Jack and him precious _Pearl_?" She looked at each of them in turn, asking them all for their answer.

"Of course," Arianna whispered. Nobody deserved to die like that, not Jack, not anybody. It wasn't right and she would do anything to get him back, because they needed him here. She could sense the tides changing; the seas were starting to roar in warning, the winds giving a warning that something was going to happen.

And as everyone else gave their answers, all of which saying yes, including Will and Elizabeth, Arianna didn't see them, but was seeing away, to a time in the not to distant future.

_Men, women, children . . . all of them were walking helplessly and hopelessly towards the gallows. Soldiers stood everywhere, at Port Royal, as they were escorted to their deaths. _

_Lord Beckett watched all this without a trace of guilt in his eyes. At once, she knew this was his doing. He was going to take over the entire oceans just to flush out what was left of piracy. And that included condemning innocent people to their graves. _

_But there was one child who dared speak out. And with the courage that a child could produce, the others joined in the song, the one that Arianna herself had sang to soothe herself to sleep, that her father had taught her when she was just a little girl. _

_"_The King and his men stole the Queen from her bed. And bound her in her bones, the seas be ours and by the powers. Where we will, we'll roam. Yo, ho, all hands. Hoist the colours high . . . heave ho, thieves and beggars. Never shall we die . . ._"_

_As the last notes of the song filled through the air, the child's voice was cut off by the hanging and the vision in front of Arianna faded away like a dream. Only she knew that it wasn't. It was what was going to happen, sometime in the near future. _

"All right," Tia Dalma said as she returned to the present, not caring if anyone saw the unshed tears in her eyes. "But if you go and brave the weird and haunted shores at world's end, then you will need a captain who knows those waters."

She turned around towards the stairs and Arianna listened to the heavy footsteps, a feeling surging through her just as he appeared.

"So tell me," Hector Barbossa said as his monkey climbed up onto his shoulder, "what's become of my ship?"

--

Arianna stood on the porch as the others started outlaying the plan that would take them to world's end and to Davy Jones's Locker. First, they would have to travel to Singapore and retrieve navigational charts in order to find their way on the journey. And in order to retrieve them, they would have to negotiate with one of the nine pirate lords, Sao Feng.

There was no denying that the vision that she'd had would indeed become true. But there was nothing that they could do about that now. The only hope for survival of pirates and innocent people would be to convene the Brethren Court and Jack Sparrow was one of the nine pirate lords. So one way or another, Jack was going to have to be rescued.

But Arianna was not thinking about any of this as she stared up at the moon as it rose higher into the sky. Her thoughts were on Finn and the last time that she had seen him, right before she'd escaped from prison with Will to go and find Jack.

"You're wrong, Finn," she whispered, praying that her words would somehow reach him. "You said that there was no way that we could be together, but there is. If we stop Beckett, then we can be together. I love you and I will do anything so we can be together. Just please, don't do anything we'll regret later. Stay true."

Even though she couldn't hear him reply, Arianna knew he had heard her message, even though the distance between them was long and treacherous. And as she stood there, she remembered the vision she'd had last year, when she had first met Barbossa. She had seen her son and nephew, in a safe and happy future.

Back then, she hadn't realised who the father of her son was. Now she did. It was Finn. She knew because their son had his father's smile, though he had inherited many of his mother's features. Simply by that vision, Arianna knew that she and Finn would find a way to be together. She had to believe in it, because if she didn't, then she had nothing left to believe in anymore.

Finn had said that Beckett was more dangerous than the most bloodthirsty pirates, but he had made a critical error. Norrington had Jones's heart and would go to him in order to get his life back, perhaps even with a promotion. But Norrington still loved Elizabeth, which meant that they had an ally on his side. And she knew that he would help the two lovers find a way to be together.

"We'll find a way to each other, Finn," she whispered. "This is all going to be over soon. And then we'll be together."

But Arianna realised with a jolt that her usual certainty was marked with conflicted feelings on this one. With this, she didn't know what would turn out to be true. She had no doubt that her son would be a part of her future, but she wasn't so sure about Finn. If she asked herself at the moment, she didn't know if he was a part of her future.

And that scared her more than anything else, because now she was deeply afraid for the man whose future was undecided.

--Fin--

AN: Okay, guys, I did not get any reviews on the last chapter, so unless I get at least six reviews (three for the last chapter and three for this one) I am not going to post the conclusion to Arianna's story, "Times of Gallantry." So please, please review, because I don't want to stop this story.


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